VIETNAM AND SOUTH-EAST ASIA
POST WORLD WAR II
COINS OF FRENCH INDO CHINA
French
Indo China was made up of what is now Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. After
the fall of France to Germany the Japanese stationed a large number of
troops in French Indo China and gained important concessions for the
use of ports, railroads and airfields. Shortly thereafter the
Viet-Minh forces under Ho Chih Minh began battling both the French and
Japanese for an independent Vietnam. Towards the end of the war the
United States gave support to the Viet-Minh to fight the
Japanese. The Japanese, seeing the eventual defeat of Germany
took full control of French Indo China in March 1945 until the Japanse
surrender in August 1945. The French attempted to reassert
control of French Indo China following World War II, but were never
able to gain full contol. This aluminum 1946 French Indo
China 5 Centime was one of the last coins issued for French
Indo China. The obverse of the 18mm coin depicts
Marianne, the national symbol of France, holding a laurel branch,
representing peace. A rice plant and the denomination is on
the reverse. The coins were struck at both the Paris and the
Beaumont-le-Roger mints in France. The Beaumont issues have a
small B mintmark under the 5 on the reverse. The Paris
issues do not have a mintmark.
Item
FIC-5C-46B FRENCH INDO CHINA 5 CENTIMES 1946-B
BAUMONT-LE-ROGER KM30.2 UNC.
$7.00
Item
FIC-5C-46P FRENCH INDO CHINA 5 CENTIMES 1946
PARIS MINT KM30.1 UNC.
$7.00
SOUTH
VIETNAM TIGER NOTE
This 500 Dong note features a fierce tiger is on the back of this 500
Dong note from South Vietnam. The front pictures Independence
Palace, which became Reunification Convention Hall after South Vietnam
lost its independence to North Vietnam. The Palace was the home of the
President of South Vietnam and was the site of the fall of South
Vietnam on April 30, 1975 when a North Vietnamese tank crashed through
its gates. The note features a watermark of the
profile of Madame Nguyen Van Thieu, who was the wife of Nguyen Van
Thieu, who was President of South Vietnam from 1967 until
1975. She recently passed away in San Diego in October
2021. The note was first issued in 1972 and was one of the
last circulating banknotes of South Vietnam. The
orange note is 153mm x 75mm.
Item
PM-SVN-500D SOUTH VIETNAM 500 DONG NOTE
(1972) P33 AU-UNC. $9.75
LAST
COIN OF SOUTH VIETNAM
This 1974 10 Dong coin was the last
circulating coin issued by South Vietnam before it fell on April 30,
1975. The 24mm brass-plated steel coin was issued as part of
the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (F.A.O.) Coin
program. The program created awareness of the F.A.O.,
encouraged people to work towards eliminating food insecurity and raise
funds for F.A.O. and related programs. The reverse of the
coin features two farmers in a rice paddy with an inscription which
translates "Increase in food production of agricultural
products". The obverse features the denomination.
Item
SVN-10D SOUTH VIETNAM 10 DONG FAO 1974 UNC. $4.00
LIBERATION CURRENCY FOR SOUTH
VIETNAM
These
small notes were printed in China in the 1960's. Expecting
South
Vietnam to quickly collapse, they were dated 1966. South
Vietnam
did not fall until April 30, 1975 The notes were
finally
issued starting on September 21, 1975 when the South
Vietnamese
currency was exchanged for these newly issued "Liberation Currency" at
the rate of 1 "Liberation Dong" for
500
South Vietnamese Dong. The notes were withdrawn on
May 2,
1978 when it was replaced with a new currency for unified
Vietnam. . The orange 1
Dong liberation note pictures boats on a river on
the front
and farmers harvesting rice with rifles stacked behind them on the
back. It is 124mm x 62mm.
Item
PM-SVN-LIB-1D SOUTH VIETNAM 1 DONG LIBERATION
NOTE 1966(1975) P40
AU-UNC
$15.00
FIRST
COIN OF SOCIALIST VIETNAM
North
and South Vietnam were
formally unified on July 2, 1976 to form the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam. This aluminum 1976 1 Hao coin was one of the first
coins issued by the unified government. One side features the emblem of
Socialist Vietnam, the other has the denomination and date.
The coin was struck only a single year.
Item
VN-1H SOCIALIST VIETNAM 1 HAO 1976 KM11
AU-UNC. $5.00
VIETNAMESE CLOTH
RATION COUPON SHEETS
This cloth ration coupons were issued in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and
are dated 1979. In order to purchase cloth or clothing, one
had to present the appropriate number of coupons. Each sheet
was good for 4 meters (about 13 feet) of material and contained 14
individual coupons with values ranging from 5 centimeters (about 2
inches) to 50 centimeters of material. Each sheet is
made out to an individual. The pink ration coupons were
issued to women.. The sheets of
ration coupons are approximately 125mm
x 85mm (5" x 3.5") and have a blank back. The sheets have
been redeemed however still contain all their individual
coupons. It is a rarely seen item that was issued not long
after the fall of South Vietnam to the communists.
Item
PM-CLOTH-PINK VIETNAM WOMEN'S (PINK) CLOTH
RATION COUPON SHEET
$4.00
ATTRACTIVE SOCIALIST VIETNAM
BANKNOTE SET
Ho Chi Minh is featured on the front of these five banknotes of the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The back features various
Vietnamese enterprises. The 1987 200 Dong depicts a tractor and farmers
in a field. The 1988 500 Dong features ships in Hai Phong
Port. An elephant dragging logs is on the back of the 1988 1000
Dong. Textile workers are on the 1988 2000 Dong.
The 1991 5000 Dong features the Tri An Dam hydroelectric
plant. It is an attractive and colorful set. All
five are Uncirculated.
Item
PM-VN-SET5 VIETNAM 5 NOTE SET, 200 - 5000
DONG 1987-1991 UNC.
$7.00
VIETNAM 2003 COIN
SET
In
2003 Vietnam released their first coins in over a quarter of a
century. An entire generation grew had grown up without ever
using coins!
The government finally bowed to the requests of merchants and citizens
who wanted the convenience of coins for use in vending machines. There
were reports that many children who had never seen a coin before, tried
to eat them thinking they were candy. Vietnam has not issued any coins
for circulation since then. The brass 5000 Dong coin pictures
the Chua Mot Cot temple in Hanoi. The brass 2000 Dong shows a
traditional high-roofed house. The brass 1000 Dong shows a
temple in
the ancient capital of Hue. The copper-nickel 500 and 200 Dong coins
portray the denomination in large numerals. All five coins
are
dated
2003 and show the arms Vietnam on the obverse. The coins were
minted a
single year and circulated only briefly. Since then no further coins
have beeen released for circulation. Because of
inflation
they are
no longer used. The government has recalled them for melting,
making them difficult to obtain.
Item
VN-SET5 VIETNAM 5 COIN SET 200 - 5000 DONG,
2003 KM71-75, UNC. $9.75
COINS OF
LAOS
Laos is a landlocked nation bordering Vietnam. It rarely
issues coins for circulation. In 1980 Laos
issued its first coins for circulation in 28 years. These
consisted
of the 10, 20 and 50 Att, struck in aluminum and issued by the
Lao People's Democratic Republic. The designs of the coins
feature the denomination in large numbers, with a small picture below.
A woman holding grain is on the 10 Att, a farmer plowing is on the 20
Att and a fish is on the 50 Att. The reverse features the
national arms, which include a hammer and sickle.
Item
S-LA-SET80 LAO PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC REP. 1980 3
COIN SET, 10 - 50 ATT KM22-24 UNC.
$4.50
PATHET
LAO
LIBERATION BANKNOTE
In April 1968, the communist Pathet Lao forces introduced these notes
in the areas of the Laos that they controlled. Following
their victory in 1975 the notes were used throughout Laos.
This red 10 Kip issued by the Patht Lao depicts nurses with patients
and soldiers planting
bamboo booby-traps. Maybe the nurses are treating the unintended
victems of the booby-traps.
Item
PM-LA-10K PATHET LAO 10 KIP NOTE P20
UNC.
$3.00
SCARCE
KAMPUCHEA COIN
The
world did nothing while the Khmer Rouge
government of Cambodia slaughtered over a million of their citizens
between 1975 and 1979 in
an effort to create a communist paradise in Cambodia. It was
a
paradise only for those in power. Finally
in December 1978 Vietnam invaded Cambodia and soon defeated
the Khmer Rouge. In 1979 a new government with strong ties to Vietnam
was formed and
the country was renamed The People's Republic of
Kampuchea.
In 1989 the country restored its traditional name of
Cambodia.
This aluminum 5 Sen dated 1979 is the only a single coin was
issued for circulation by the People's Republic of Kampuchea.
One side has Kampuchea's coat of arms. The other side has the
denomination and date.
Item
KH-KAMP KAMPUCHEA (CAMBODIA) 5 SEN 1979 KM69
UNC. $3.00
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French
Indo China was made up of what is now Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. After
the fall of France to Germany the Japanese stationed a large number of
troops in French Indo China and gained important concessions for the
use of ports, railroads and airfields. Shortly thereafter the
Viet-Minh forces under Ho Chih Minh began battling both the French and
Japanese for an independent Vietnam. Towards the end of the war the
United States gave support to the Viet-Minh to fight the
Japanese. The Japanese, seeing the eventual defeat of Germany
took full control of French Indo China in March 1945 until the Japanse
surrender in August 1945. The French attempted to reassert
control of French Indo China following World War II, but were never
able to gain full contol. This aluminum 1946 French Indo
China 5 Centime was one of the last coins issued for French
Indo China. The obverse of the 18mm coin depicts
Marianne, the national symbol of France, holding a laurel branch,
representing peace. A rice plant and the denomination is on
the reverse. The coins were struck at both the Paris and the
Beaumont-le-Roger mints in France. The Beaumont issues have a
small B mintmark under the 5 on the reverse. The Paris
issues do not have a mintmark.
This 1974 10 Dong coin was the last
circulating coin issued by South Vietnam before it fell on April 30,
1975. The 24mm brass-plated steel coin was issued as part of
the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (F.A.O.) Coin
program. The program created awareness of the F.A.O.,
encouraged people to work towards eliminating food insecurity and raise
funds for F.A.O. and related programs. The reverse of the
coin features two farmers in a rice paddy with an inscription which
translates "Increase in food production of agricultural
products". The obverse features the denomination. 
North
and South Vietnam were
formally unified on July 2, 1976 to form the Socialist Republic of
Vietnam. This aluminum 1976 1 Hao coin was one of the first
coins issued by the unified government. One side features the emblem of
Socialist Vietnam, the other has the denomination and date.
The coin was struck only a single year.
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